Meet Head and Neck Surgeon Ian Ganly

Head and neck surgeon Ian Ganly explains that experts in all disciplines – including medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgery – work together as a team to deliver treatments offering the best results possible for patients.
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 Pictured: Ian Ganly

Ian Ganly, MD, PhD

Head and Neck Surgeon

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Head and neck cancers
  • Salivary gland tumors
  • Mouth (oral) cancer

My Specialties

  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Laser surgery
  • Endoscopic surgery
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Dr. Ganly's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a surgeon who cares for people with cancerous and noncancerous tumors in the head and neck. This includes tumors of the mouth, throat, larynx (voicebox), esophagus, sinuses, thyroid gland, salivary glands, head and neck skin cancer, and melanoma.

I trained in otolaryngology (study of diseases in nose and throat), general surgery, and plastic surgery. This broad experience gave me the surgical, endoscopic, and microsurgical skills necessary to treat head and neck tumors.

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In addition to traditional, open surgery, I have a special interest in minimally invasive surgery. These procedures use smaller incisions or cuts and have been shown to reduce the risk of complications and recovery time. For example, I have extensive experience using transoral endoscopic laser surgery to remove tumors of the larynx and pharynx. This type of operation is performed through an endoscope inserted in a patient’s mouth. I then remove the tumor using a special laser. This technique has several advantages over open surgery. It involves no incisions on the neck, which allows us to preserve speech and swallowing function. In many cases patients can have these procedures done without a stay in the hospital.

I also have experience in transoral robotic surgery to remove cancers of the tonsil and base of the tongue. This allows us to remove cancers in the back of the tongue and tonsil through the mouth and eliminates the need for an open mandibulotomy (jaw split).

My special interest in salivary gland cancer and thyroid cancer has led me to write extensively on these topics. My clinical research and basic science research mostly focus on these areas.

I have published more than 300 scientific articles and written several book chapters in the field of head and neck cancer. This volume of research has led to me to earn an exceptional research rating. In addition, I have presented at more than 200 national and international meetings. I am an active reviewer for several journals, including Head and Neck, Clinical Otolaryngology, Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Surgical Oncology.

I am married to my wife, Adele, and have two children in high school. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends in New York City. My hobbies include sports, especially soccer, running in Central Park, tennis, and skiing. My wife and I are keen travelers and have visited most countries in the world.

What I Do at MSK

A head and neck surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the head and neck. This includes the larynx, lips, mouth, nose, salivary glands, and throat.

  • Attending Surgeon
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Head and neck cancers
  • Salivary gland tumors
  • Mouth (oral) cancer
  • Throat cancers and conditions
  • Laryngeal (larynx) cancer
  • Thyroid cancer and conditions
  • Skin cancer and conditions
  • Nose (nasal) cancer and sinus tumors
  • Melanoma

My Specialties

  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Laser surgery
  • Endoscopic surgery
  • Robotic surgery
Education & Honors

Education

  • MBBS, University of Glasgow, Scotland
  • PhD, University of Glasgow, Scotland
  • MSc, Columbia University, New York

Residencies

  • Surgery - West of Scotland Teaching Hospital
  • Surgery - West of Scotland Teaching Hospital

Fellowships

  • Surgery - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • General Surgery, Otolaryngology (UK)

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2018-2023)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2018-2020)
  • Fellow of the Year Award, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2004)
  • Fellow, Royal College Surgeons Edinburgh
  • Fellow, Royal College Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Ganly sees patients at two locations.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
West Harrison, NY
David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
530 East 74th Street New York NY 10021
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester
500 Westchester Avenue West Harrison NY 10604
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Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Selected Book Chapters
Ganly I, Shah JP. In: Mastery of Surgery. 5th ed. Fischer JE, Bland KI, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006.

“Management of oral cavity cancer.” Ganly I, Patel SG, Shah JP. In: Principles and Practice of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. Montgomery PQ, Rhys Evans PH, Gullane PJ, eds. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2009.

 “Management of the neck.” Ganly I, Patel SG, Shah JP. In: Principles and Practice of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. Montgomery PQ, Rhys Evans PH, Gullane PJ, eds. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2009.

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 “Management of laryngeal cancer.” Ganly I, Patel SG, Shah JP. In: Principles and Practice of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. Montgomery PQ, Rhys Evans PH, Gullane PJ, eds. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2009.

 “Management of thyroid cancer.” Ganly I, Patel SG, Shah JP. In: Principles and Practice of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. Montgomery PQ, Rhys Evans PH, Gullane PJ, eds. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2009.

Neck dissection” Ganly I, Shah JP. In: Fischer’s Mastery of Surgery. 6th ed. Fischer JE, Jones DB, Pomposelli FB, Upchurch GR, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.

“Epidemiology of head and neck cancer.” Ganly I, Patel SG. In: Stell and Maran’s Textbook of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. 5th ed. Watkinson J, Gilbert RW, eds. London: Hodder Arnold; 2012.

“Principles of conservation surgery.” Ganly I, Shah JP. In: Stell and Maran’s Textbook of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. 5th ed. Watkinson J, Gilbert RW, eds. London: Hodder Arnold; 2012.

 

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Ganly’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

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Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Ian Ganly discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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